Trump at Correspondents' Dinner: 'This Evening Was Worse Than I Thought'

Former President Donald Trump addressed the annual White House Correspondents' Dinner, an event he described as "worse than I thought," held this year at the Waldorf Astoria, a hotel he once owned.

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In America, we do not give in to political violence.

Unlike the April dinner, which was interrupted by an attempted assassination, this year's event proceeded without major incident. However, Trump's speech, which lasted over an hour, was a mix of humor and seriousness. Many of his jokes were met with silence from the audience, but he garnered applause when he stated, "In America, we do not give in to political violence."

The atmosphere grew tense when journalists from The Wall Street Journal were honored for their reporting, including an exposé on a birthday card with a nude drawing that Trump allegedly sent to Jeffrey Epstein. Despite a pending lawsuit against the newspaper, Trump rose to congratulate the journalists.

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It has not been an easy evening, with all these awards.

He also acknowledged the challenging nature of the evening, stating, "It has not been an easy evening, with all these awards." While expressing respect for many journalists and their work, Trump also criticized some, singling out CNN correspondent Kaitlan Collins, who received an award. He also made disparaging remarks about political opponents, including Governor JB Pritzker of Illinois.

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I respect most of you, you do a fantastic job.

Trump remarked that his prepared speech for the earlier, interrupted dinner was much harsher, claiming it would have "torn people apart." He recounted a humorous, albeit surreal, anecdote about the April event, suggesting that during the commotion caused by the shooting, people shouted "down, down," leading to a bizarre image of Nikki Minaj twerking.

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I can't read the speech I had prepared then. It was so mean, it would have torn people apart.